New National Awareness Campaign from Common Sense Media Helps Parents Understand the Impact of Media on Kids

By James Steyer
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Sep 24, 2010

The media our kids encounter every day is pretty amazing. The Internet, TV, movies, music, and smartphones - they surprise and amaze, they bring joy and inspiration, and they help kids connect with others and the world. But with all the real issues facing our kids today - cyberbullying, hours and hours of screen time, texting, sexting, privacy - it's never been more critical to help every parent understand and help manage these influences.

So Common Sense Media, an independent nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology, has launched a major national television and online initiative to spread the word about the challenges - and the solutions - that kids and families face every day.

The campaign consists of two TV spots that will begin airing on Comcast systems and other partner media outlets in January 2011. You can see the spots now at www.commonsense.com. The spots will be running for a year, alongside an online campaign offering videos with tips and advice. We hope to raise awareness with parents across the country that there are ways to keep our kids safe and responsible in this exciting digital world we live in.

Partnerships with a wide-ranging list of leading companies have allowed us to have an amazing impact on both parents and teens across the country. For example, Comcast has helped distribute Common Sense Media content in many ways:

Video tips and reviews on the On Demand platform, where Comcast tells us they have already enjoyed 1.3 million views this year.

This partnership has truly helped us empower millions of parents to get smart about how kids are growing up in this digital world, and become active participants in their kids' media lives. The feedback we've both read and heard has been inspiring.

We at Common Sense Media remain devoted to helping parents everywhere thrive in a world of technology and entertainment. That's why we continue to raise awareness that media impacts our kids, and offer tools and advice to help parents manage. Because times may have changed, but parenting hasn't.

I invite everyone in the Comcast community to join the discussion and contribute your voice - after all, you've helped make this happen. Visit commonsense.com to watch the videos, comment, and please do share with friends.